Paris is a great city to holiday with kids. For parents, planning a family trip to Paris can be a bit tricky as you try to squeeze everyone’s “things to do” list in a limited holiday time.

Our number one tip if you are planning to holiday in Paris? Stay longer. Aim to stay for at least one week, especially if you are visiting from far away.

Avoid trying to cover everything Paris has to offer in one trip. There are simply too many (awesome) things to see and do. Have a rough itinerary planned out for each day, with the flexibility to swap them around in case you’re too tired or when it rains. Interesting fact: London is famous for being a rainy city, but the average annual rainfall in Paris is very similar.

For each day make sure you allow plenty of breaks. With so much to see, travelling around Paris can be tiring, especially for kids. Before your Paris holiday read our guide to Paris Family Holiday: Do’s and Don’ts you need to know before going

So, here is our Paris holiday best things to do with kids list:

Walk the pretty streets

Start at Arc de Triomphe. You can climb to the top and get amazing views of Paris! Then continue along Champ Elysees. This is the famous main street where Asian tourists love to shop. Turn to Avenue Winston Churchill passing by Petit Palais and Grand Palais. Your final stop will be at the pretty Pont Alexandre III bridge.

Explore Latin Quarter

One of our favourite parts of Paris! Latin Quarter somehow feels more Paris! Start walking along Boulevard Saint-Michel towards Jardin du Luxembourg. Napoléon Bonaparte dedicated this garden to the city’s children. Kids love playing sailboats in the large central pond. There is also a gated playground, Medici fountain and even a mini statue of liberty.

Afterwards enjoy dining at a nearby restaurant (you will have plenty of choice). Then, finish up at the beautiful Pantheon. See Foucault pendulum and then go up 206 steps to see a beautiful views of Paris.

Where else but: Eiffel Tower

This one is the highlight of countless family holidays to Paris. Kids (and parents) will love going all the way up to the top of Eiffel Tower. Paris seen from above is an absolute delight!

To go up the Eiffel Tower we highly recommend booking allocated time tickets (released up to 2 months in advance). Top of Eiffel tower itself is not that big and wait times can be very long.

If you want to avoid the crowd completely you can simply enjoy a picnic at Champ de Mars. Alternatively your family can go up on a hot air balloon in central Paris! Go to Ballon de Paris Generali (www.ballondeparis.com).

Take nice family photos with Eiffel Tower in the background

Hey, you’re in Paris, you might as well!

Some easily accessible photo points include Pont bir Hakeim, under the bridge at Pont d’lena, Rue university (need to be super patient or come early as usually there are tons of wannabe influencers), Trocadero (watch out for scammers) or Passerelle Debily bridge (a bit further away).

You can consider hiring a local professional photographer to capture that perfect shot. Check our family travel photo tips here

Disneyland Paris is a great way to break your Paris holiday

Disneyland Paris is about 45 minutes from Central Paris. You can easily get there by catching RER train or via private transfer. Read our full Disneyland Paris guide here.

Go up Notre Dame or drop by Sainte-Chapelle

Notre Dame cathedral was devastated by fire in 2019 and is due to reopen in December 2024. Our favourite thing to do during a previous Paris holiday was to go up on the rooftop walk. Views of Paris from up there is very special. Kids will love seeing the many gargoyles carvings up close.

Sainte-Chapelle church is very close to Notre Dame. Although small, its stained glass windows are gorgeous. If you are planning to visit, pre-booking entry tickets is highly recommended.

Museum – visit one (or a few)

There are plenty to choose from!

Some of our favourites include Louvre and Musee D’Orsay. Louvre sometimes have kids themed trails to keep them excited. Afterwards you can also visit the nearby Jardin Tulleries & Colonnes de Buren.

On the other hand Musee D’Orsay is housed in an old railway station that will remind you of the movie Hugo. Don’t forget to take a photo of the huge clock on the 5th floor.

Sacre Cour area in Montmarte

This white limestone church looks grand from the outside but to be honest, the interiors is a bit bland. You can ride a funicular (saves you from walking) up the hill.

Afterwards have a hand drawn portrait of your kids done at Place du Tertre square where all the local artists gather, or take a break at the Insta famous Halle Saint-Pierre museum cafe.

Hop on a vintage carousel

You can find them at Eiffel Tower, Sacre Cour (apparently the oldest in Paris, dates back to 1879!) or Hotel de Ville. There are a few others around Paris.

Go to a fancy cafe

We decided to go to Le Train Bleu. Mr Bean Holiday was shot here so it was an easy sell for our boys. This beautiful and opulent fine dining restaurant located inside Gare de Lyon train station is absolutely doable with kids!

Their set menus for lunch and dinner are expensive. Young children is highly unlikely to be able to tolerate hours of sitting quietly. So our tip is to… rock up for breakfast!

They are open from 7.30am and no booking is needed. Technically breakfast isn’t served in the main dining area – BUT you are free to wander around the place with almost no one there (except staff). And breakfast didn’t cost a fortune too so that’s a plus!

As mentioned in our Paris Family Holiday Do’s and Don’ts: Don’t go to cafes and restaurants near tourist attractions.

Shop (or window shop) till you drop

As mentioned you will find tons of shops along Champ Elysees.

You can also visit Printemps Haussman department store. Go up to the top level for variety of dining options and rooftop terrace views over Paris. Next door is Chinatown a.k.a Galeries Lafayette. Pretty displays and the famous glass dome are undeniably stunning. But the bus loads of Asian tour groups make this otherwise pretty department store feel more like in Shanghai than Paris.

For a more relaxed outdoor shopping experience head to Rue de Rivoli. As a bonus there is a toy shop (King Jouet) & interesting vintage shops along Rue de la Verrerie. Continue until Rue du Pont Neuf where you will see the famous Louis Vuitton “art installation” of Yayoi Kusama.

Spend a day at Versailles

Versailles is easily reachable by a 50-minute direct train ride on the RER from Central Paris. Tour groups will only be here just for the main palace. But there’s plenty more to do! Rent a golf cart or bike to explore the gardens, Grand & Petit Trianon Palaces, as well as The Hamlet. Also you can paddle around the Grand Canal in a row boat.

You can spend a whole day here and there won’t be enough time!

Seine River Cruise

If your family need a break from walking, Seine river cruise is an excellent way to relax while catching a glimpse of some of Paris most famous sights.

We like taking the cruise at sunset. Some evening cruises also offer dinner option.

Kids will probably prefer an amphibious bus boat tour! The tour starts on land before splashing into the river! Go to Les Canards de Paris (www.canardsdeparis.com) for more info.

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Other things you can do:

  • Visit Napoleon’s tomb, military museum and Les Invalides
  • Opera Garnier
  • Relax in Le Marais area
  • Sunset at Pont des Arts
  • Try the escargot!

Get the kids acquainted with some local Paris cuisine. We loved the duck confit, French onion soup, beef bourguignon, crepes and of course the escargot.

  • Eat beautifully crafted pastries

These works of art looks too good to eat! We loved the variety on offer at A.Lacroix Pâtissier just opposite Notre Dame Cathedral.

ACCOMMODATION

Metro underground train is the most economical and convenient way to avoid Paris’ bad traffic and sometimes dodgy taxis.

We stayed at Novotel Les Halles, right above Les Halles station (the biggest underground station in the world!).

Les Halles station has an express RER train line B direct to Charles de Gaulle airport. A direct RER train line to reach Disneyland Paris. And there’s even Westfield Shopping Centre right below the hotel with tons of shopping and international food options.

Organise private transfer to airport

At the end of your Paris holiday, organise a private transfer. Private transfer from your hotel can be cheaper and more convenient than a taxi. We used a local French guy Laurent Tucar from Facebook group “Paris Travel Tips and Plan” whom we highly recommend.

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For other places we have visited, checkout our website’s travel Destinations section. We buy our travel essentials online via Ebay